


The Mistake: the tale of Genna

by tabulaarasa



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-06
Updated: 2013-02-06
Packaged: 2017-11-28 10:07:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/673215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tabulaarasa/pseuds/tabulaarasa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Genna is a mistake. She was never supposed to be born. And yet, here she is. The universe didn't kill her. That could only mean someone has something in store for her. When Genna leaves the only place she's even known to travel from the Southern Pole to track Avatar Aang and the Gaang, she only planned on asking for Aang's help. She didn't mean to find herself in the middle of a rebellion. Some people who fought in the Hundred Year War aren't pleased with the outcome of the War. They're angry. They want change. And they're going to get it. </p><p>The threat of another war hangs over Aang and Zuko's heads. When Genna is accidentally caught by Katara, she gets what she asked for--a meeting with Aang--and whole lot more. Things take a turn for the Gaang when they've united with Genna and the stakes grow high for the rebels.</p><p> Because now there are two Avatars.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Genna

_Three weeks earlier…_

Water.

Earth.

Fire.

Air. 

I could bend them all. I used to think it was impossible. I caught on waterbending first. My mother thought it was sensible. She was a waterbender, too. But then came earth. Interesting enough, my father was proud, but my mother worried. She’d get this troubled look in her sea blue eyes, like she was afraid of something. I used to cry, thinking she was afraid of me.

Only, when fire came along, I knew she wasn’t afraid of me. She was afraid of what I was. I was scared of me, too. Having one element to bend would be completely normal. Having two was different, but exciting. Having three was unheard of. But having four was impossible—because only one person could do that.

The Avatar.

And our world already has one. There isn’t supposed to be another. But here I am. Here I am with one dead father, a dying mother, and four elements to bend. It’s said that the Avatars live without ever knowing their parents. I know mine.

That’s what troubled them. It troubled my mother ever since she knew I could earthbend and it soon scared my father. He died too early; he died without having a reason to die. No, he died because of me. I killed him. My existence killed him.

There isn’t supposed to be another Avatar. There isn’t. There isn’t. I am a mistake. I’m not supposed to happen. But I was born the day the Avatar died in Ba Sing Se…and came back to life. By the time he had been healed, I had already been born.

Why didn’t they let me die? Why did they let me live? Who’s they?

The war’s been over for almost three years now. I’m supposed to be three years old. But I’m sixteen. Well, at least I look sixteen. And I’ve never left my tribe in the South Pole since my mother found out I could bend the earth when we were in a small village in the Earth Kingdom. Not once was I allowed to step foot out of my tribe again.

My mother worried that I’d be taken by the Fire Nation back then, now she’s afraid that if word spread that there was another Avatar, enemies of the Avatar would come and find me. They’d come and find me to use me to defeat Avatar Aang.

That’s why I have to leave. I have to leave and tell the Avatar. The Avatar. I am not the Avatar. I can never be like him. I am a mistake. But I’m not about to lie around here, useless.

I was thinking the Avatar and his group would need my help. Hey, one Avatar plus another Avatar wouldn’t be a bad idea, right? Wrong…sort of. I don’t really know. Then again, no one knows. No one but my mother knows about what I am and no one can tell me what I’m not supposed to do and what my destiny is.

I’m hoping I could find my destiny if I talked to the Avatar. But how could I make him believe that I was like him? Correction—I am him. Sure, I can feel him sometimes. I can feel what he does and if that feeling of his is strong, sometimes it’s almost tangible for me. Usually it’s just a tugging sensation.

That’s not the point, though. The point is, I’ve got no way to prove to him that I am him. Maybe I’d bend the elements in front of him. Sure, yeah, embarrass myself in front of the master of all elements. I can barely earthbend and I’ve only tried that once.

Waterbending, I can do. Light a flame from the palm of my hand, no sweat. But my skills of airbending and earthbending are laughable.

As for the Avatar State, never been. I don’t know much about it, either. I would probably know more about it if I had one of the Avatars to talk to, but they’re pretty much MIA. Thanks, guys, for all your help.

That’s another reason for seeking Avatar Aang out. I need to know more about myself. I can’t live my whole life not knowing or understanding who I am. And as small childish part of me thinks that it’s unfair to let Avatar Aang live the big life, while I’m stuck here in the freezing and boring South Pole.

Sure, the South Pole’s grown since the war ended. People from the crowded North Pole traveled all the way here and they’ve never left. No, they’re not dead. They decided they’d settle down here and help us rebuild. The South Pole looks better. But how would I know? I only came three years ago.

But from the stories, the South Pole was pretty much ice, ice, a small tribe, and even more ice. Now, there are tall and beautiful structures of—take a wild guess—ice walls. The waterbenders that traveled here helped the locals bring together more land for the growing population. At this moment, they’re building this big complicated gate that’s supposed to show off and protect.

The South Pole is getting better. There’s nothing left for me here. Sure, I could help out with all the construction but I can only use my waterbending skills. Almost every time I use my waterbending abilities, I have the biggest itch to firebend or airbend. I can’t earthbend here. And aside from my desire to bend all the elements, I’ve got a lazy butt.

I want to learn. I want to leave this cage of mine. I’ve been trapped for what feels like an eternity. I need to get out. I need to be the Avatar…even if there already is one.

I need my questions to be answered. And I can’t do that here, when no one knows who I am.

I’m leaving today. I’ve said my goodbyes to my mother. It was one of the hardest things I had to do. This woman has done everything in her power to raise me like a normal child. She tried to protect me. And now she’s dying because I live. It’s unfair how her only child would be the very thing that would kill her. I don’t mean to. I never wanted anyone to die because of me. I can’t stand to look at her any longer without knowing what I’ve done to her. I love her, but I did this to her.

My animal guide, Banlu, the only one of her kind—a giant white flying otter-bear-wolf—is ready to go. I jump on her back ready to leave the only place I’ve ever known. I’ve been ready for a year now.

I’m ready to find my destiny. 


	2. Katara

_Three weeks later…_

“Morning.” He whispers softly into my ear. There’s nothing better than hearing his voice say my name first thing in the morning. I stir and turn to face him. His arm around my waist pulls me closer.

“Mm.” I mumble. “Morning.”

Aang chuckles and kisses my temple. I could feel him sit up on the bed, his arm still wrapped around me. Now I can feel his body lean over me and I imagine seeing his warm grey eyes. I smile and my own eyes flutter open.

And there he was. His beautiful face just above my own and his nose just inches away from mine. My eyes lock with his and he took my breath away—again. He always did. The early morning light made his milky skin glow and I had to make sure he wasn’t just a figment of my imagination. Because he’s really here, with me.

My last thought last night had been of Aang. My first thought? Also Aang. I'm not ashamed to say that…er, well, not ashamed to say it to myself, at least. If I ever said this out loud, Sokka and Toph would tease me to the ends of the Earth and back. Yeah, that's not a risk I'm going to take.

It annoyed me slightly how Sokka and Toph could get into my head this early in the morning. I push thoughts of them away and focused on Aang. Always on Aang.

"Morning." I mumble again, lamely. Aang only chuckles, his smile shining down on me, making my cheeks grow warm.

Only two days left until _the day_.

I reach my arm up and place my fingers behind his neck. I pull him lower, closer to me, until my lips meet his. Even if his lips are already crushed against mine, I still pull him closer, needing him.

I'm out of breath when Aang abruptly pulls away. "Katara," He whispers beside my ear. His sweet breath tickles my ear, down my neck. "Too early in the morning."

Aang sits back up and beams down at me. I narrow my eyes at him, which only makes his smile bigger. "Fine." I grumble. I'm not mad about it. He never said I couldn't kiss him _later_. I make a show of sitting up, my long messy hair scattered behind me. Aang stands up and reaches for my hands. I take his hands in mine and let him pull me up.

He pulls me up with such ease, as if I'm lighter than air. And that's pretty much what Aang makes me feel--all light and warm inside. Yeah, I'm helpless. Helplessly in love with the Avatar.

Before my feet touch the ground, Aang pecks me softly on my cheek and carefully sets me down. I thank him by kissing him back. "I need food." I blurt out and head for the kitchen. I can hear Aang's soft laughter by the wooden stairs.

I walk calmly into Iroh’s teashop, The Jasmine Dragon. It hasn’t opened for the day yet, which is why I’m free to walk around in only my linen top and skirt, my hair a complete mess.

Iroh is already preparing tea and pouring it into glasses. Food’s been lain out on the long table to the left of the teashop. Sitting before it, gobbling down their food is Toph, Suki, and Sokka.

“Why Katara, you look lovely today.” Toph’s voice rings out in her friendly mocking way.

I’ve gotten used to her I-can-totally-see-you sarcastic remarks. “Thanks, Toph.” I reply and walk over to the table. She raises her cup of tea up to me as her reply and brings it back down to her lips to sip.

“Morning.” I say as I slip into a seat in the table, facing opposite to Sokka and Suki.

Sokka looks up from his fried noodles to look at me. “Morning, sis.” He mumbles and draws his attention back to his food.

“Where are Zuko and Mai?” I turn to Suki. Her skin is glowing today and her belly looks a lot bigger than a few weeks ago.

“Why are you looking for Zuko?” Aang says from the stairs, a challenging smile on his face. He regards Zuko with fondness, and I’m pretty sure he knows something that I don’t.

“Because he isn’t here.” I reply. All of us decided to stay in the newly built separate rooms upstairs of Iroh’s teashop for the remainder of our visit in Ba Sing Se. Aang and Zuko have been working closely with the Earth King Kuei to keep the peace and control the small riots that break out here and there.

I turn back to Suki. “He and Mai went out for a walk. They’ll be back soon.” Suki answers my question. Her hand rubs her growing belly, as she smiles down at it.

I glance at Sokka, who is still so very interested in his food, while Aang slips into a seat to my right. “Suki, when’s the baby going to be due, again?” I ask.

Suki grins at me. “Not long, now. Maybe two or three months.” She answers.

This catches Sokka’s attention. He looks up from his food, a string of noodles hanging from his mouth. He looks at me with wide eyes. “What?” He says through a stuffed mouth. “So soon?”

Suki turns to him and narrows her eyes. “Of course. I’m supposed to have our baby in my womb for _nine months_. I don’t want to have her inside me forever. Do you know how _hard_ it is to carry her?”

Sokka sits up straight, sensing his wife’s nerves start. “Relax, honey.” He softly coos at her, stroking her arm. “Stress is bad for you and the baby.” I try to bite back a chuckle when Suki shoots my brother a death glare.

“Why don’t you try being pregnant?” Suki snaps.

“That would be impossible.” Sokka retorts. Suki opens her mouth to reply, but Sokka saves himself by quickly grabbing her hand. “ Calm down, I know your emotions are all over the place, but remember you’re not doing this alone.”

Suki closes her eyes and takes in a deep breath. “Okay.” She whispers. And in a second, her eyes snap open, back to the cheery brown I was met with earlier. “Let’s eat.”

* * *

Cleaned up and no longer looking like a buffalo yak, I make my way down the stairs again to where Aang leans against the doorway facing the bustling street. There’s no use in trying to sneak up on him. He’ll either feel my footsteps’ vibrations on the ground or he’ll somehow sense me getting closer. So, I casually walk up to him and wrap my arms around his.

He sighs. “I wish this job didn’t require leaving you.” He tells me, watching the people walk here and there.

  
“I don’t want you to leave.” I admit. But knowing his job as the Avatar is one that requires a lot of moving, I don’t do anything about it. I’ve seen him in action before, joined him for a while during the meetings after the War. But Aang tells me that riots and outbreaks are none of my concern anymore, they’re slowly disappearing.

Aang sighs again and I can sense that there’s more to his sigh than just leaving my side. “Hey,” I ask softly. “Is something up?”

Aang doesn’t reply instantly. He turns his head to look at my face, studying me with those wise and knowing gray eyes. _What is he thinking?_ I ask myself.

Finally he speaks up, “No, everything’s fine.” There’s no emotion in his voice, which worries me. I loosen my grip on his arm and step back. I feel my brows furrow as it’s time for me to study him.

There is definitely something going on. But now’s not the time to beat Aang into telling me. I’m not about to ruin our day. Instead, I direct our attention into something more positive. “Only two more days left.” I mumble.

The corners of his mouth twitch up in a smile. “How about we move it up to just one day?” He suggests jokingly. “I don’t want to wait.”

“Toph’s going to go crazy if we change the date again.” I say with a chuckle. “No more pissing Toph off.”

I know by the look in his eyes that he’s remembering the last time we broke it to Toph, telling her we were going to move _the day_ to an earlier date. It involved dodging flying boulder disks and mud waves. Toph did the throwing and splashing, while we did the dodging. “That’s probably a good idea.” Aang nods.

There was a moment of silence as we tried to navigate our way through our racing thoughts. I don’t know what he’s thinking about, but by the looks of it, it’s nothing good. I take a step forward so I’m closer to him. My hands are placed on either side of his chest and my eyes look straight at where his heart is. His arms wrap around my waist.

“You should probably go.” I say quietly. I definitely don’t want him to go. Every part of me screams for him not to, but we both know that there’s just no way we’ll be able to get him out of work.

“I know.” He whispers. “I wish I didn’t.”

“I’ll see you later.” I mumble and tip my head up to look at him. He’s grown. I mean he’s seriously grown. In the past three years after the War, Aang’s shot up and now towers over me. I’d also like to point out that his muscles didn’t miss out on all the growing. I’m sort of proud of how he looks now, all grown up. But even if my Aang’s physically grown up, I can always see the boy I found in the iceberg, years ago.  
Aang leans down and presses his lips to mine. I savor every sweet moment. He pulls away to ask, “Are you going out on a walk?” Walking around the city isn’t uncommon for me. I’ve made a habit out of walking in the morning and he knows it. I nod and he takes my hand. “Then I’ll walk you outside.”

Hand in hand, we walk out of The Jasmine Dragon and down the stairs into the busy day. A few citizens stop to greet us good morning, while others just nod politely in our direction. Once we reach the middle of the street, Aang stops. “Well, I walk on from here.” He says.

“You sure you don’t want to take Appa?” I ask. I’m probably stalling, trying to keep him with me for just a few more minutes.

Aang strokes my cheek with his free hand. “I’ll be fine.” He assures me. “You can take Appa today.”

“Okay.”

“Just remember, if there’s an emergency, tell Appa to get me. I’ll leave the meeting.” He reminds me. His eyes look into mine, full of authority and love. He just wants to make sure I’m going to be okay. Honestly though, it’s not like the world’s going to end without him…um, yeah, I’m not going to take my chances on that.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be perfectly fine.” I assure him just as he assured me. “There won’t be a need to take you away from your Avatar duties.”

He doesn’t reply or take his eyes off me. I don’t do otherwise but look back at him, trying to take him all in. “I love you.” He whispers softly. I know that there’s more he wants to say. _Save it for_ _the day_ , I want to tell him. _It’s not going to be long, now._

I smile. “I love you more.” And with that, he smiles and kisses me one last time before turning around to walk down the road leading south, to the Earth King’s palace.  
I watch him leave until he becomes a dot in the distance—that happens in just a few seconds (you know, Airbender speed and all)—then I turn on my heels and walk the opposite direction.

I usually just walk randomly around the city, getting lost in the green scenery and the friendly atmosphere. There’s no more brainwashing in the city anymore, as far as we’re concerned. Long Feng has been taken care of and I’ll leave it at that. I don’t need to remember the details.

What I need to do is mentally prepare myself for _the day_. Mm, _the day_. That’s never going to get old. Never. And _nothing’s_ going to ruin our day, not if I have anything to say about it.

* * *

I stop dead in my tracks.

Aang.

I can feel him near-by. He’s here!

Before I could stop and even look at the facts, my legs take me forward, towards the direction of Aang’s tugging presence. The feeling grows stronger with each step I take and I know when I’m close when I can practically _feel_ him.

I’ve gotten used to this Avatar-and-lover connection. Aang told me about this before, saying that I’d expect to feel it growing stronger as _the day_ comes closer. And I don’t mind the feeling at all. The comfortable sensation warms all over my body—but the best part is that it feels like Aang is right beside me. It’s like I can feel his body next to mine, like I can feel the warmth radiating from his skin that causes mine to blush. Aang and my spirit are one.

Suddenly, my mind chooses to think. It tells me that Aang said he’d be in a meeting the whole morning and wouldn’t be back until after noon. But my stubbornness and will to see Aang tells me that he probably decided to take a break or walk around the city.  
I choose to believe in the latter.

As I come even closer to the pull of Aang’s spirit, I can hear him bending. A boulder is lifted off the ground and thrown many feet away, crashing on the ground with a pounding crunch. I hear the air howl past my ears and whoosh around, harassing my hair and tangling strands together. I hear the cackling of fire next, but it ends abruptly and I know the flame’s out. It’s as if Aang didn’t want to let the fire spread. Lastly, I hear the soothing flow of water. He’s trying to calm himself down. Whatever mood he’s in, he’s not in a good one.

I run faster, wanting to be by his side and comfort him. Maybe now’s the time to ask him what he’s been keeping from me. That solemn look on his face this morning hasn’t completely left my thoughts.

I reach a cluster of tall and thick green bushes. I open my water pouch and bend the water inside, slicing at the sharp leaves and long stems. A few steps later, I can see the blue of the sky and the light green grass.

“Aang—” I start to call out as I shoot out from the cluster, but I stop dead in my tracks when I see the back of a teenager about my same height, wearing a mix of Water Tribe blue and Earth Kingdom green.

The girl’s hair is the same colored brown as mine, but shorter and straighter, falling just a few centimeters from her shoulders. The girl gasps when she hears my voice and turns around. The alarming frightened look in her wide ocean blue and grassy green eyes makes her seem like a koala sheep standing in front of a hunter’s fire.  
There’s no mistake that she just bended all four elements. I heard her. It wouldn’t be hard to believe that she’d be a waterbender, judging from her Water Tribe outfit. She’s got my skin color too, a light milky brown. But the greens in her eyes and dress caught me off guard. No person in the Water Tribe could ever have anything green. In the South Pole, anything colored _green_ doesn’t exist.

Then I’m hit with a strong realization. I’ve noticed it before but it didn’t go through my mind well enough— _She bended all four elements._

“How?” I blurt out.

“Please, don’t scream—or tell anyone.” The girl begs and I can hear the fear in her voice. She’s afraid of me. She’s not supposed to fear me—I’m not supposed to be a scary person (most of the time).

I shake my head, almost trembling, myself. This is impossible. I could’ve been hallucinating. That would probably be it, because no one in the world can be able to bend all four elements except for the Avatar. And the current Avatar is still alive. My Aang, is still alive.

“You can bend all four elements.” I say out loud, more to myself than to the Water Tribe girl. Saying it out loud makes it more real, sending the feeling of dread creeping inside me. The girl freezes and I look into her eyes. “How is that possible?”

The Water Tribe girl’s mouth opens to say something, but no sound comes out. She tries to speak again, but her voice fails her. I need answers. I need an answer that is anything but what I’m afraid could be true.

I hear Appa approach to my right and soon his big fluffy white body peeks out from behind the bushes. I snap my head to him. “Appa, get Aang. _Now_.” I order him in a hurry. I know he can hear the anxiety and urgency in my voice because his body becomes more poised and ready. “Bring him to Iroh’s tea shop. It’s important. Yip, yip.”

The girl’s able to speak again as I watch Appa fly away to get Aang. “Iroh? General Iroh—the Dragon of the West?” The girl asks in disbelief. “Aang? As in, _Avatar_ Aang? You know him?”

I didn’t expect this girl to recognize me, but for some reason it surprises me that she doesn’t. If she lives in the South Pole, my Gran Gran would’ve told the whole tribe about us.

I nod. “Yes—I’m his…fiancé.” I say and the word seems strange on my tongue. I’ve never said that world out loud. The other term though…seems better to me.

The girl’s eyes grow even wider, and for a second, I was afraid her eyes would pop out of their sockets. “You’re Katara of the Water Tribe? The master waterbender?” She asks me, her voice pitch growing higher with all the information she’s sorting out.

 _Katara of the Water Tribe_ , master _waterbender_? That’s what I’m known for back home? The title makes me blush. “Yes.” I say. “Who are you?”

There’s a long pause. A dreadfully long pause. It makes my insides squeeze and knot together. I feel the nervous shaking coming back and I have to clench my teeth to stop the chattering. I feel so far away that when she opens her mouth and confirms what I fear, I suddenly feel like I’m shutting down.

“I’m Genna. The second Avatar.”


	3. Genna

This wasn’t supposed to happen. Things are not going according to plan—hah, what plan? 

As soon as the master waterbender whipped out water from her pouch and snaked it up my arm, wrapped it around me, and tugged me forward so she could take my arm and drag me around the city, I knew all the plans I’ve wrecked my brain for in the past few weeks flew right out of the window.

I know I should be happy.

My original plans were pretty stupid, consisting of pretending I was Avatar Aang’s long lost cousin (like anyone would believe that) and going to the Earth King to ask him to help me unite with my “cousin.” It didn’t take me long to dismiss those ideas. So when a door suddenly opened up and allowed for me an easier way to reach Avatar Aang, I should’ve have more or less been overjoyed.

Not the case—because his wife-to-be found me first. Katara of the Water Tribe, master waterbender caught me bending all four elements. That wasn’t supposed to happen. What was supposed to happen was that Avatar Aang found out first. I practically am him, so it immediately concerns him. Plus, he’d know what to do about me…I hope.

When Master Katara started talking to me, I first felt like squealing like a fan girl, then logic rained down on me, and I panicked. I stood frozen on the spot and probably looked like a frightened idiot. A totally great first impression I made on her.

I mentally scolded myself when she stared at me with her wide blue eyes. I should’ve thought this whole journey through. Especially the fact that Avatar Aang isn’t alone, he’s got his whole gang with him. And I completely forgot that Avatar Aang is in a relationship with Master Katara, as her farther, Chief Hakoda reported back in the South Pole.

Oh man, I seriously should’ve thought this through.

Now, as Master Katara drags me left and right through the crowded streets of the lower ring, I feel my insides knot together and my stomach churn. It doesn’t help that I feel my knees go weak as we run to some place I have no idea about. I don’t know where Master Katara is taking me, and that is unnerving.

I’m unprepared and vulnerable. If there’ll come a time when I’ll have to defend myself against Master Katara, the only element I’m confident bending properly without embarrassing myself is water. And I’m sure that I’m no match for her. She’ll have me knocked out before I can even draw any water.

I…am in serious trouble.

We run in silence and heavy breathing. We could’ve taken Ban—which would’ve been faster and less exhausting—but she ditched me at the clearing. I’m not worried about loosing her, she always finds me in the end. But even if I did have Ban, how could I be sure that Master Katara would willingly hop on her?

How can I be sure that I can trust her?

Funny thing, _she_ should be wondering if _I_ could be trusted. I know that I’ve got good intentions, but does she know that? What if she suspects that I’m a joke? Or what if an enemy of theirs sent me? Who the heck knows? I wouldn’t.

I don’t have time to take in my surroundings with Master Katara hauling my butt here and there. The only things I notice are the buildings how far apart they get. That’s how I know what ring we’re in. We pass through the middle ring, where the houses are evenly spaced unlike the cramped lower ring, and then we enter the upper ring with its pristine buildings and wide-open space.

Dripping wet with sweat, I feel self-conscious. Right now, Master Katara could be complaining to herself about how disgusting and out of shape I am. I feel the urge to squirm out of her slick, yet firm, grip. But I fight back the urge and focus on keeping up with her.

 Master Katara stops in front of a staircase that leads up to a grand building named, The Jasmine Dragon. I squint and read the words displayed on the roof of the building.

A teashop? She’s taking me to a teashop?

Master Katara takes in a deep breath then starts up the stairs in a hurry, pulling me behind her. “Go on without me!” I want to scream, but the whole reason she’s dragged my sorry butt here was because of me.

“Come on.” She huffs, finally talking to me. We spent the whole run with Master Katara giving me the cold shoulder and me trying not to faint from exhaustion and fear. I told myself not to do anything embarrassing, but I guess it’s too late for that now. I should’ve prepared myself for all this exercise.

When we reach the top of the stairs, Master Katara tugs me forward and rushes into the teashop, disrupting the peace of the few costumers inside. As we burst into the shop, people stop whatever they’re doing and stare at us. A thin man dressed in green robes to our right, has his cup of tea raised to his lips in mid-sip and his wide eyes trained on us.

I look awkwardly from left to right at the people staring openly at us. I feel self-conscious all over again and my skin begins to itch. I look to Master Katara who has her eyes trained on the three people at the other end of the emerald green carpet.

The tallest of the three is a man. I recognize the Water Tribe blue of a warrior’s under shirt and pants he wears, and the warrior’s wolf tail his messy brown hair is tied into. He’s got the same skin color as Master Katara and mine that it’s obvious he’s from the Water Tribe, too. I take a guess and say that this man is Warrior Sokka, Master Katara’s brother and Chief Hakoda’s eldest child.

Warrior Sokka holds the hand of a woman to his right, dressed in a light shade of green and loose pants. Her stomach bulges beneath her robes and her free hand is placed on top of it. I realize that this is Warrior Sokka’s wife, Kyoshi Warrior Suki. Her eyes dart between Master Katara and me.

To Warrior Sokka’s left, is a girl who looks my age, with her head slightly titled down and choppy black bangs hang in front of her small face. Her pale green eyes look so unfocused that when I look closer at her, I realize her eyes aren’t focusing on anything at all. She’s blind. Now, there’s no mistaking that she’s Toph Beifong, the Greatest Earthbender. Chief Hakoda’s stories say that she had other titles such as, “The Blind Bandit” and “The Runaway.” He said that she is the first person to ever metalbend, which basically makes her a legend in her own right.

After realizing whom the three people standing across us are, an old round-bellied man is about to walk right in front of the three, when he stops abruptly and looks towards our direction. He takes in Master Katara’s and my appearance in silence.

We probably look like exhausted hog monkeys.

The old man stands still, hands holding a teapot and eyes looking back and forth between Warrior Sokka and Master Katara. He somehow understands the telepathic conversation the two siblings are having.

The teashop is quiet. 

Warrior Sokka’s eyes, directed at his sister, clearly say, “You have some explaining to do.” I know Katara understands because she nods and her head turns to the direction of the man with the teapot.

He’s the one who breaks the silence. “Come, let’s talk privately.” He tells Warrior Sokka and motions for Katara and me to follow him. He ushers us to the right where a wooden sliding door stands closed and far away from the tables in the teashop.

 The old man turns to the costumers, “It’s all right, just some family business to take care of. No worries.” He chuckles lightly and the costumers relax. The air turns from tight and anxious to peaceful.

 I realize I’ve been holding my breath all this time and exhale, gulping up the air to fill my tired lungs. Gulping up the air may not have been enough for me, since I began to hyperventilate...right in front of the legendary members of Team Avatar. I've embarrassed myself twice now, in front of these heroes.

Negative two points go to me for impressing Team Avatar.

My cheeks burn when I realize Master Katara has tugged on my arm thrice for me to step inside the room we’re facing. I quickly step inside the simple wooden room to avoid embarrassing myself further (like that’s ever going to happen).

 A wooden table covered in an elegant silk green cloth sits in the middle of the room. There aren’t any chairs around. Actually, there isn’t a lot in this room. Just a couple of the same matching silk green drapes hanging on the walls and on the wooden table.

The last to walk in is the old man, who quietly slides the door shut behind him. I feel my cheeks burning something fierce as I’m face to face with a few members of Team Avatar. I constantly shift my weight from leg to leg, that it begins to annoy me. I can’t stand still, not knowing what Team Avatar might think of me.

 Why? Why did I choose to do this?

 The room is quiet so I’m left with my muddled and regretful thoughts. It’s not so nice being inside my head at this particular time. I can’t shut myself up no matter how hard I try.

I can feel four sets of eyes on me and I awkwardly avoid each pair. I’m not used to this much attention, that it makes me feel a bit queasy. I try to open my mouth to explain myself, but no sound comes out.

I now deem myself…hopeless.

It seems like an eternity until someone speaks up.

 “I found her, just today, and I swear, there can’t be any other explanation.” Master Katara says, her voice echoing in my ears.

“Katara—” Warrior Sokka tries, but his sister interrupts.

“I saw her! Well—not really—but I heard her! She bent all four elements. I’m not making this up and you all probably think I’m crazy—my appearance doesn’t exactly prove my sanity—but I’m telling you, I’m not crazy. She’s exactly who I think she is. No, I know. She told me herself—” 

“Katara!” Warrior Sokka interrupts her.

 Thank the spirits, he did. She was seriously inching toward the lands of hysterical and beyond.

Master Katara bends down and gasps for air, trying to regain her breath. Warrior Sokka takes a step toward her and puts a firm hand on her back. “Easy, sis.” He says softly. “Why not try telling us how you found her?”

Master Katara looks up from her gaze on the floor to look directly at me. I suddenly stop shifting and stand still. The weirdest thing was that my hands began to tingle as her deep blue eyes stared me down with different emotions ranging from fear, confusion, and worry, flashing in her eyes.

“I thought I felt Aang.” She whispers. “I was positive it was him. The connection we had is growing stronger as our wedding day comes closer. Aang told me about that—the connection between the Avatar and lover. We’d be able to feel one’s spirit.”

I glance at Warrior Sokka. His eyebrows go down into a concerned frown. I can see the wheels in his head turning, trying to find a perfectly logical answer to counter what his sister’s trying to tell them.

 Too bad he won’t find one.

“Katara…you’re not saying that she’s…?” whispers Kyoshi Warrior Suki. She doesn’t finish her question, afraid that saying it out loud is only going to make it true. I’m already sorry to say that it is true. I’ve been sorry my whole life. 

“Aang and her spirits are one and the same—if not, then share they a part of that spirit.” Master Katara says.

“Wait. So you thought Aang was nearby, you followed his—whatever, and you heard Shifty over here, bending all four elements?” asks Master Toph in a slightly mocking and intimidating voice.

“Yes.” answers Master Katara. 

“O-kay.” Master Toph whistles, the intimidation and mock disappearing from her tone.

 Kyoshi Warrior Suki turns to the old man. He’s been completely silent this whole time that I almost forgot he was there. 

Almost.

“Iroh, is this possible?” Kyoshi Warrior Suki asks.

My eyes nearly bulge out at the mention of the name. Iroh? General Iroh? The Dragon of the West Iroh?

I turn around to look at him again, now feeling a flood of respect towards this old man. His white beard and hair past his shoulders don’t make him look like a man who broke the gates surrounding Ba Sing Se and the leader of The Order of the White Lotus. Dressed in simple but formal and rich green robes and pants, he looks like an ordinary, yet successful, tea maker and the owner of this shop.

General Iroh’s eyes focus on me and they bring back the itch once again. His eyes never leave me as he speaks, “I wouldn’t know. I may have gone into the Spirit World before, but I do not know its ways. How this young girl could’ve came to be, is a mystery to me.”

“You’re right.” Master Katara says. I can practically feel a speech coming off of her. “We don’t know how this is possible, but there’s no denying that she’s the second—”

“There’s no denying that who’s the second what?” A voice comes from behind me. “Katara, what's going on?” 

 There’s no denying who this voice belongs to. By the way my whole body buzzes with so much energy, it’s like I’m about to explode, and the way I suddenly feel whole and full, there can only be one person who is standing right behind me—

Avatar Aang.

* * *

“Katara, I don’t see what you’re all so worked up about—” Avatar Aang said in a low, calm voice. I know he’s having a hard time focusing on what Master Katara’s saying because I can feel him trying to give Master Katara his full attention, but struggling. I know he’s aware of the energy coursing through his veins and the tugging sensation, pulling him to me.

 He’s aware of me.

I’ve never actually been distracting before. Interesting.

Master Katara grabs Avatar Aang’s arm and turns him around, so their backs are to me. They stand at the far end of the room, which isn’t really that far at all. They keep their voices to a quiet whisper, probably so I won’t overhear their conversation—which is not impossible—or to prevent eavesdroppers from outside from learning about this whole gathering.

Ms. Master Waterbender’s about to be kicked off this Earth into Crazyland again. I can seriously feel the crazy radiating off her. 

“You don’t?” Master Katara interrupts. She continues in a high-pitched whisper. “You don’t see how having her around two days before the wedding isn’t something to worry about?” 

“No, I don’t.” Avatar Aang honestly replies. I can sense that he’s taking slow and calming breaths, trying not to go into panic mode, much like his wife-to-be is. I partly feel calm and peaceful, thanks to him.

Through her stressful voice, I can practically see her narrow her eyes at her fiancé. “Aang, she is you.” She says, the anxiety and worry filling her voice once again. “What’s going to happen to her—what are we going to do with her? What happens if others will find out about her?”

 “We won’t tell anyone about her.” Warrior Sokka says firmly. Having him reply to her from all the way to the right of the room, shows that Master Katara does not know how to whisper. 

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean they won’t find a way.” Master Toph says, the intimidation and toughness back in her voice.

“We have to keep her a secret.” Warrior Sokka suggests—no, orders.

“That might be our only choice.” Kyoshi Warrior Suki says, but I hear a slight hint of doubt in her voice.

Master Katara whirls around to face the others. “It is our only choice.” She says. It stings to know that she completely accepts this whole Keep-Avatar-No. 2-a-secret thing. “This happened at the wrong time. She shouldn’t have come here—”

“Katara, don’t—” Avatar Aang interrupts. He’s a peaceful guy, that Avatar. You know, with him being an Air Nomad and all. I’ve heard hundreds of stories about Avatar Aang, some stories are obviously made up and some are real. They said that being the Avatar and an Air Nomad, he has to keep the peace, therefore be peaceful. At least that part of him is true.

 Too bad I’m not as peaceful and patient as he is.

 “No, Aang, I don’t mean that.” Master Katara says, already knowing what Avatar Aang was going to say. “What I mean is that she could have come at a better time. Not two days before the wedding.”

“Katara, I understand. Really, I do.” Her fiancé says in a calm and reassuring voice. He quickly brings up another question. “What are we going to do with her in the meantime?”

“What are we going to do with her? Period.” Master Toph adds. Master Katara already asked that question before, but it was left unanswered.

“Where is she going to stay?” Kyoshi Warrior Suki throws in.

“How are we going to be able to hide her?” Warrior Sokka mumbles to himself.

“What is she doing here?” I hear Master Katara whisper to herself.

 “How long will she be staying?”

“Will she—”

“Why—” 

“What if—”

“Who is she?” 

Warrior Sokka becomes oddly quiet. I watch him as his brows dip down into a frown and his blue eyes stare intently at the ground. Deep in thought, I can’t help but want to know what he’s thinking.

Then, I do. “Can we trust her?” He asks. None of them look at me and I know they’re asking themselves the same thing. I look to each serious face, knowing they won’t meet my eyes or even acknowledge my existence.

I’m a ghost. Again. Will things ever change?

I let out an exasperated sigh that sounds more like a crazed bark. “I am Genna of the Water Tribe and the second Avatar. I came here to help you guys and join your team, also at the same time, hoping that you’d find it in your hearts to train me.  I came here to tell my own self about my existence. I came here for a change and I came here to do something good.” I finally say. My voice is as loud as thunder in this desert quiet room.

I’m sick of being cast to the sidelines and I’m sick of others treating me like I’m invisible. I’m sick of others dictating my life and making choices for me. I can make my own choices. Watch me. 

The room stays silent and no one moves.

“Yes.” I say. “Yes, you can trust me." 

Still, no one moves. Avatar Aang faces the wall, with his back to me. “I’ve been sheltered from the whole world, all my life. My dying mother did her best to protect my identity and keep me a secret. I’ve lived my whole life knowing I am a mistake. But for some reason, I’m still here.”

For some reason, I’m still alive. That’s got mean something, right?

“There’s a reason I’m still alive. I don’t know why. But I’m going to make sure that I fulfill my duty as the second Avatar.” And that’s final. I finish to myself.

Nothing is said and a little part of me feels like I’ve failed. But the bigger part of me won’t give up. I stand up straighter, ball up my fists, and stare at each of their faces until I get an answer, a reaction—anything from them. 

The seconds tick by and quickly melt into minutes. I’m not going to stop staring them down. 

I’m caught in honest surprise when Avatar Aang turns around and looks directly at me. I feel the buzz start up in my chest again. I feel my muscles throb with energy and I can feel both our hearts beating in a matched rhythm.

Unconsciously, I take a step back when Avatar Aang takes a step toward me. His whole face looks so serious, but kind. When I look into his eyes, it seems like I’ve looked into those eyes a thousand times over.

Avatar Aang takes several steps before he’s right in front of me. Now every pair of eyes is trained on us. Avatar Aang looks down at me, studying me, like he’s trying to figure me out. I look up at him, praying he see’s something in me that’ll convince everyone to train me.

“What I can’t seem to figure out is…how are you here?” Avatar Aang mumbles softly, more to himself than to me.

Before I can ask him what he means or calm my racing thoughts, I feel a cool gentle hand on my forehead. Then Avatar Aang’s gray eyes disappear under his closed eyelids. His breathing becomes deep and meditative, that I’m caught up in his trance and find myself taking slow breaths, too.

I feel my body start to hum, making me hyperaware and focused at the same time. My eyes find their way to Avatar Aang’s forehead, where a blue arrow is tattooed onto his bald head. It begins to glow with a bright blue light. I don’t move. I stare at the arrow, watching as the light engulfs me and swallows me whole.

 Then, the world before me disappears. And I am somewhere else.

\---

“ _Let her go…”_

_The guru’s wise voice echoes._

_The crystals Aang encased himself in explode into a million jagged pieces, flying at every corner. The same bright white light that shone like a beacon when the iceberg broke in the North Pole, shoots up to the stone ceiling._

_Aang is raised up, his eyes and tattoos glowing. His clothes are singed and messy as his body floats up higher. The Avatar State. He’s in the Avatar State for everyone to see. Exposed._

_Then out from behind and without any warning, a blast of lightening strikes Aang from the back and the energy exits out his foot._

_The glow blinks on and off, before completely disappearing. Aang starts to descend to meet the ground._

_Dead._

_The Avatars are lined up. Roku disappears first, and then Kyoshi, Kuruk, and Yangchen, and one by one, the Avatar ceases to exist._

_In the few moments of Aang’s death, in the Southern Water Tribe, a woman is giving birth to her child. Her face is red and her forehead glistens with sweat. Strands of dark brown hair stick to her face and she grinds her teeth together to keep from screaming._

  _Her husband, completely out of place with his green eyes, stands by her side, holding her hand. The couple is inside a steady igloo and an old, gentle, lady soothes the woman as she instructs her on what to do._

_In a matter of seconds, a small cry is heard. The baby is out. Their child is born._

_The old lady takes the baby girl and cleans her off, then hands the child to her mother._

_Sweating and crying, she cradles her baby in her arms. She’s a small, but beautiful thing._

_Side by side, two scenes are played at the same time: One where Katara revives Aang with the water from the Spirit Oasis and the second where the couple looks down at their newborn daughter._

_The scenes blur together and disappear into black._

_Voices echo in the dark. Somehow, they’re easy to recognize and identify._

 “ _What shall we name her?” The green-eyed man asks his wife._

“ _I don’t know…let’s give her a name that’s special.”_

“ _Gen.”_

“ _Now that isn’t very traditional.” The woman tsks fondly._  

“ _What do you suggest, then?” Her husband asks. The woman pauses and thinks before answering._

 “ _Genna.”_

And the girl’s eyes open to reveal shocking ocean blue and earth green eyes. 


	4. Furo-ji

Sick, twisted jokes. That’s all they got. They think it’s funny that we're being tortured. It’s totally hilarious to them that they’ve shipped me against my will to this cemetery of bad memories—memories that are just waiting to resurrect and haunt me. 

It’s twisted. It’s unfair. And I can’t do a thing about it. 

I don’t talk to anyone. I keep my head down and stay at the back of the line. Our group of twenty is headed by one of the chiefs, Ke Pa. His face is ugly and vicious, marked forever with five scars from a saber-tooth moose-lion attack. His eyes are a deep soulless black that gleam whenever he hears screams of agony. 

I hate that face. I hate those eyes. And I hate him. But he’s the leader for this mission, so we’re supposed follow him without complaints. 

But we do complain. Just not out loud. 

I keep my head down and focus on the dusty ground. Ke Pa leads us through the eerie and quiet lower ring. It’s close to midnight and if anyone is smart enough, they won’t be loitering around the city’s streets. If they’re smart, they won’t cross our path. If they do, there’ll be unnecessary blood to shed. 

And I don't feel like shedding anyone's blood right now. 

I sigh out loud. “What was that?” calls Ke Pa from the front of the line. My head snaps up. He stops and whirls to stare us down. 

The guys at the front cower and bow their heads, avoiding his eyes. They didn't do anything wrong, but Ke Pa doesn’t know that. He'll take any excuse to hurt anyone for pleasure. 

No one answers him. He doesn't need an answer, anyway. “I told all of you to shut it. If you can't do that, I'll gladly do it for you. And your silence will be permanent.” He threatens with a malicious smile forming on his thin pale lips. I want to run up to him and permanently slap that smile off his face. But that will only get me killed. 

Except, since when did I care about living? 

I’m ready to run up to him and strike, but Ke Pa turns around and motions for us to keep moving. I ball up my fists and start walking again. Maybe this won’t be the night where I kill him. But I’ll be looking out for that perfect moment when I will. 

I huff silently and return my gaze to the ground. There's no point in looking up when all it'll do is bring to life those memories that have already died. And I’d rather leave them dead. I feel better that way. That way, I feel numb. Numb with only anger filling the black emptiness that rules inside me. 

Ke Pa keeps us moving until we reach a group of abandoned houses crammed next to each other. We find two groups already here. One group is Ban Lian's and the other is Hai Dao's. Both are hideous and ruthless chiefs. Ban Lian waves his sledgehammer in the air, signaling to Ke Pa, who chuckles. 

What the hell does that mean?

When we're within a few feet of Ban Lian and Hai Dao, Ke Pa raises his hand in the air and balls it into a fist, giving us the signal to break away. As much as I want to run, I follow Ke Pa and stand by his side with my fists clenched tighter. It takes all my will power not to swing at the bastard. 

I stand beside him, staring straight forward, and awaiting orders. 

Just give me the freaking command you bastard. I mentally scream at him. 

As if that’s actually going to make a difference. 

The seconds tick by quickly and I can hear Ban Lian and Hai Dao chuckle towards my direction. My muscles tense when I realize that the stupid bastard is making me stand there, looking like a fool. 

Ke Pa snickers and from the corner of my eye, I see him turn slightly towards me. Finally, he speaks in that annoying deep voice of his. “Well, what are you waiting for, Urchin?” 

For your damn command, bastard. 

“Get to it.” 

I nod stiffly, cross my arms, and take three steps away from the chiefs. As my eyes carefully sweep over the abandoned houses where our men are huddled together in groups of identical black clothing, I wonder how long it will take for the seven other groups to arrive at this meeting point. 

When my eyes reach the last broken down house to my right, I draw my eyes back to the first wrecked house to my left. Analyzing and registering everything, my eyes never miss a thing. I can see a young boy struggle to shift his weight on his right leg as he stands, due to a recent injury on his left leg. Four houses to the left from where I stand, I can see another boy cradling a limp right hand as he talks to another boy in their huddle. 

But as my eyes jump from group to group, I feel the temperature in the air drop. The air suddenly becomes bitingly cold, making the hairs on my arms stand. I narrow my eyes. 

Something’s going on. I don’t know what, but sooner or later, I’m going to find an answer. 

Apparently, sooner happened within seconds. 

Uncrossing my arms, my eyes take a while for me to understand that I’m looking right at a ghastly wavering figure of a woman. The light that she’s made up of is a sickly and bright yellow hue, making it look rotten and cold. It definitely looks like she doesn’t belong here. 

The woman wears a ragged and worn dress that reaches her ankles. When my eyes zero in on her feet, I notice that they’re not touching the ground. From afar, she looks like her feet are planted on the ground, but really, they hover just inches above. Until now, I hadn’t noticed that I’ve broken into a cold sweat. I shudder as the freezing air blows a bead sweat down my back. 

My eyes go right up to her head. I note that her hair is dark, jagged, and uneven like they were badly cut. The wind tousles and sweeps her hair around, covering her face as she sobs into her frail looking hands. 

“My baby.” She cries. I catch the layered echo of her voice. “My boy. My baby.” 

Somewhere at the back of my head, an alarm sets off. That voice—it’s so familiar. It’s been imprinted on to my head since my beginning. Then I realize, for so long, I’ve tried to push that voice away, I tried to forget the way the voice pronounced certain letters that turned into syllables and found it’s way into forming words. I’ve tired to forget everything. 

But like the cruelest nightmare, I’m staring right at the one person I’ve tried to forget.

“M-mom?” I whisper. 

I feel my heartbeat pick up its pace and speed up. I’m having trouble breathing and an even harder time trying to wake up from this dream. Because I’m convinced that this is a dream.

When I look to the other men, they’re carrying on with whatever they’re doing, not noticing the dead woman by the fountain. 

Over the thudding of my heart against my chest, I faintly hear Ke Pa say, “What’s that?” I can’t find it in me to answer him. I can’t tell him that it’s nothing. I can’t be sure that this is only a dream. 

My heart squeezes as I wish that this were just a nightmare.

Please let this only be a nightmare.

My mother’s ghost snaps her head up to stare right at me. A gasp escapes my lips and I stumble back as if her gaze itself pushed me backward. I dare to blink and…

She’s gone. 

I try to catch my breath and slow my heartbeat down. At the same time, I pick up where I left off. My eyes travel past the fountain and the groups to my right. And then I stop. My heartbeat picks up again.

Now she’s there, standing twenty steps away from me. 

Through the curtain of black hair, my mother’s ghost continues to stare at me. I recognize the familiar features—her full lips, her tired eyes, and her high, caved in cheekbones. But this version of her looks exactly like what she is—pale and dead. 

Against my will, my body starts to shake. 

“What have you become?” She asks me. The echo in her voice tells of hurt and anguish. They tell of betrayal. Bile rises up my throat as it finally hits me that I’m the one who betrayed her. I’ve betrayed a lot of people, lately. And it’s about time I betrayed her. 

Only, I never planned on it. 

“What do you mean?” I ask in a shaky voice. I don’t want to know what she means. I don’t want to know what she thinks I’ve become. 

I blink and she’s gone again.

I search frantically for her. Partly desperate to see her again—dead or alive—partly afraid of where she’d gone and what she’d do. But the cold still stings my face, so I know that she hasn’t left yet. That way, I know she’s still here, floating somewhere, and keeping her dead eyes locked on me like I’m her prey. 

I blink again and this time, she’s just a few inches away from my face. I stumble back some more. I hear a murmur, someone shouting at me. But I don’t care because I’m face to face with the ghost of my mother. 

My breath becomes uneven and I feel my lungs struggle to find air. I can’t move or break away from the ghost’s icy gaze. What’s unnerving is that my mother’s ghost still has the same eyes that my mother used to have when she was alive. They were a shade of gold and brown. I’m surprised I could even see the color of her eyes in her state. They would’ve been beautiful if not for the deep sadness in them. The only thing different with her eyes this time, is that they point out that she’s really dead. 

“MONSTER!” She snarls at my face. Tears spring into my eyes and I fight to stop the tears from escaping. The shaking worsens now, making my teeth shatter and the earth tremble underneath my feet. 

She’s accusing me. She’s calling me out. “YOU’VE BECOME A MONSTER LIKE THE REST OF THEM!” 

I shake my head, mute. I’m unable to defend myself, already broken by the fact that my own mother thinks I’m a monster. 

My mother’s known many monsters in her life. And I’ve become one of them. 

Her eyes are wild and blaze with rage. When I blink, her expression changes from that of barely-contained anger to a look of pure crazed hate. I cringe like I’ve been slapped in the face. I hear shouting in the background but they sound too far away to comprehend. 

In her eyes, a flash of anger goes by and the next thing I know is that she lunges for me. My arms shoot up and cross over my face, shielding myself from her. A shameful scream escapes my lips. 

Though only a ghost, her freezing translucent body passes right through me but manages to knock me to the ground. Coming in contact with her sends a shooting chill up my arms, spreading through my chest, down my legs. I’m trembling uncontrollably now, choking on my tears. 

“ROT!” is the last thing she tells me before she disappears into nothing and the darkness swallows the rest of her. Her words echo in my ears, leaving a ringing, loud enough to deafen me. Struggling to fill my lungs with air, my breath comes out in fast uneven wheezes. I feel like a fish out of water, so exposed and so far away from home. 

And yet, this wretched place was my home. I buried the memories of this place deep down in the graveyard inside of me. But as I feared, they came back to life. 

I feared the memories. 

Suddenly, I’m furious at myself. Fear is not supposed to exist. Fear is weakness and weakness will only get me killed. 

When the ringing in my ears has faded away, I hear men whispering frantically and I feel firm hands on my shoulders, trying to pin me to the ground. Kicking, flailing, and screaming, I try to get out of their grip. The struggling does me no good. They only press down harder and someone clamps a hand over my mouth. I try to bite it. 

“Quit it, Urchin!” a harsh voice snaps at me. I open my eyes to stare up at the dark sky. White stars fill my vision and I blink to make them go away. My heart still hammers fiercely against my chest like it wants to break out and run. 

Footsteps to my left come closer and Ke Pa’s clawed face comes into view. He scowls down at me. If looks could kill, I’d be dead in a minute. His lip is curled and he bears his razor-like teeth. Ke Pa looks as if he wants to murder me on the spot. 

“Go ahead!” I want to shout at him but I can’t find my voice. 

“Get yourself together.” He commands down at me. “You could’ve—”

Ke Pa’s interrupted by the howl of a strange animal that sounds like it’s close by. Everyone freezes and Ke Pa looks to his right, listening for anything that would give away the animal’s position.

He swears. “You bastard. You’ve given away our position!” He spits at me. Oh he definitely wants to kill me now. He would if only there wasn’t an animal running around the city that could find us and give away our hiding spot to the officials of the city. 

“Hide!” He orders the other men. I can hear Ban Lian and Hai Dao do the same with the others farther back. “You.” Ke Pa snaps at some boy. “Take him with you.” 

No, let them find me. I plead silently. Let them kill me. 

The boy grabs at the cloth at he back of my neck and drags me to a near broken down house. He throws me into a corner blocked by fallen wood, perfectly concealing the spot. I hit my head on the wall and let out an embarrassing whimper. 

I don’t look at him, but I hear his footsteps retreat. He probably went to hide somewhere else in the house with the others in here. 

I’m finally alone. 

I curl up against the wall and for the first time in years, I cry. As the tears fall down my face, I curse the day I was born, silently wishing I wasn’t. What a weak bastard I am for crying. Weakness should not—and doesn’t—exist inside of me. I know I used to want to survive. But now, I can’t remember a time when I cared about living or dying. 

And I still don’t. Right now, I just want to get the job done and get the hell away from here.


End file.
